Thinking of shrimps

I was thinking of getting some shrimps to help clean up my aquarium, and because shrimp are awesome! I was thinking of getting maybe some ghosts and some amanos. will they be able to get along with each other and my fishes? also does anyone know of a shrimp that eats snails?

thanks in advance

 

I have been told of a shrimp that eats snails, but I have not been able to confirm the claim, so I think it may have been bogus.

Ghosts and amanos should be able to get along. The ghosts will breed, the amanos (if they are true amanos) won't, as they need brackish water to survive the planktonic stage. Cherry shrimp, a variant of the amano, can breed without the brackish water, however.

The shark may eat the shrimp, so be sure to provide plenty of hiding places (a rock, a piece of driftwood, or a tera cota pot with Java moss tied around it is good).

 

thanks. if I get cherry/ghost shrimps, is there a chance they will breed out of control? how do I tell if an amano is a true amano or not? and don't worry... I have plenty of rocks and caves and plants for protection.

 

They shouldn't get crazy out of control they are not snails, that being said they do like to breed, but that is good since they don't live that long. That way you can have a self sustaining colony, shrimp also have a zero bio load as long as you don't add hundreds of them they are just a really good clean up crew. I have never owned amano so I couldn't tell you.

cheers

Ryan

 

yeah don't worry about there breeding getting out of control. I catch my shrimp eating some of the small pond snails they de-shell them. amanos do a great job cleaning up and so do te ghost shrimp. cherrys aren't bad eitehr and there attractive

 

I don't think you'd have to worry about them breeding out of control. A fair amount, probably most, of any young would be eaten by the fish.

 

Shrimp colonies tend to be self-controlling. Because the adults eat the young, the more dense the colony, the harder it is for the young to avoid the parents.

 

cool! thanks a bunch!

 

Personally, I wouldn't put anything else in that tank. The shark can easily reach 6" and Red-Tail experts will tell you that they shouldn't be in anything less than 55 gallons. I didn't know this and I have one in a 37 gallon tank and it takes everything I can do to ensure that he's content. I'm thinking of forking out bucks for another tank just for my $4 shark. Really, do some research on the Red-Tail Shark and you'll find that they need lots of room. This site ridiculously states that 10 gallons is ok, but you won't find that on any other reputable sites or in Red-Tail specific information.

Zambize

 

Personally, I wouldn't put anything else in that tank.

I would, in nearly any other situation, agree with you.

However, shrimp have a neutral (or negligible) bioload, because they help keep the system clean.

 

thanks for the info. btw... I'm aware that rts needs lots of space, and I wanst planning on putting other fish in the 29g. thanks for the reminder though.

 

Hello. Ive been thinking about starting a shrimp tank, but I have absolutely no knowledge of shrimp care. What kind of shrimp to get. etc.

So my question is, Ill probably be getting a 5 or 10 gallon tank, what types of shrimp and how many would you suggest for those sizes of tank.

And also, if you could fill me in on some basic care that'd be appreciated as well.

 

I have kept a few species of shrimp myself. For your first shrimp tank, I highly recommend red cherry shrimp or tiger shrimp. They are both a very hardy species and can be kept together without cross-breeding. When shrimp cross-breed, the offspring are very drab and don't have the beautiful coloration of the parents.

I was told 10 shrimp to the gallon. If I am wrong, hopefully another member will correct me. Something to consider is that most shrimp breed...a lot. You can start off with 10 and have 50 within a month or two. However, there is a very high demand for both cherry and tiger shrimp so you should have no trouble selling off extras.

My shrimp like zucchini, fish food, and algae wafers. You don't need to feed them much. They also don't add a lot of nitrates to a tank so water changes aren't as frequent (although they are still necessary) as some other species.

 

I love my RCS! Shrimp are more fun than you'd expect

 

Okay. I definitely think Ill try Red Cherry shrimp. What about ghost shrimp? would they be okay to keep with RCS?

 

Since they are not of the same genus, I would think they would be okay together, but you may want to verify that.

 

A lot of things I'm reading say that ghost shrimp will kill and eat RCS. so maybe its not a good idea. lol

 

Now THAT I was unaware of! I agree-not a good idea.

Thanks for sharing the info

 

You're welcome, everything says that the ghost shrimp are bigger and more aggressive. And would most likely make a meal of the RCS.

 

Ghost shrimp can get pretty mean. I don't like them! lol. I just feed them to my big Jack Dempsey.

 

lol. I think they look pretty cool. But after reading how mean they can be I don't think ill be getting any unless they're in a species only tank.

 

I'm gonna jump in on the Ghost Shrimp part of this debate. I have had Ghost shrimp and Cherries together for nearly a year now and I have never noticed them munching on them.

Ghosties can get a bit on the feisty side when they want to but that is part of the fun of them. Although I have not noticed them eating the Cherries it does not mean that they haven't BUT, cherries breed like rabbits, way faster than they could get eaten! When the Cherries settle in they will produce quite a lot of little shrimp so a little snacking here and there won't do there population much harm, might even help keep the blood line stronger.

I currently have Cherries, Ghosts, Amano and Orange Bee's and everyone seems to get on lovely.

Just thought I'd throw my 2 cents in.

 

It is my understanding that there are both an aggressive and a passive species marketed as Ghost Shrimp. One is all clear and the other has red spots on the tail and a well formed claw, albeit tiny. I just can't remember which is which.

Anyway, the aggressive ghostie will kill smaller RCS as well as catching small fry for food.

 

It is my understanding that there are both an aggressive and a passive species marketed as Ghost Shrimp. One is all clear and the other has red spots on the tail and a well formed claw, albeit tiny. I just can't remember which is which.

Anyway, the aggressive ghostie will kill smaller RCS as well as catching small fry for food.

I've head that too.

 

So I am getting a 10gal tank from a friend. I am thinking of making it a shrimp tank. Its going to either be the 10 gal or that might get taken over by my new Betta boy. What shrimp would be best in a 5gal tank, and what would be best in a 10? I have never had shrimp before so this will be new. Is there anything I should get while setting everything up?

 

Shrimp can be fun! If you're new, most people will suggest RCS (red cherries). These gusy are very hardy, breed easy, are active, and pick at algae and clean your tank all day. You can have a small colony in a 10G if you really wanted. They would do fine in either size. My suggestions:

*get plants - they love to explore, this creates hiding places, and will supply them additional food. If you're new to plants, keep it simple with some java/windelov fern(s) and anubias plants. I would also add some java moss. This seems to be their favorite. They will hide in it, eat from it, and shrimplets will grow in it.
*get some driftwood - same reasons as the plants, plus it looks nice.
*don't skimp on the filter & WCs - Just cause they're shrimp does not mean they are hardier than fish. In reality some shrimp (not so much cherries) are extremely delicate. I would stick with sponge filters. They produce less flow and also serve as a grazing ground for shrimp food.
*if you want them to breed, crank up the temp and feed them a little more. They have food specifically for shrimp out there.
*keep the pH above 7 - yea, they can live in pretty much anything, but when the water gets too acidic it will eat away at their shells. You want to make sure they are getting enough calcium too. Measure your kH.

If they are comfortable in their tank they will swim around like fishes. I would honestly just get some from someone reliable on this site. I know EricV has quality ones.

 

My water has been settling at 7.5 so I don't see ph as an issue. Plants either, ill be stocking that up like crazy lol. I was thinking a diy sponge filter. They don't look hard to make. This won't be for a while, I wanted to get my second tank settled first but I like to prepare ahead of time

 

totally forgot to mention that these neocaridina species of shrimp (heteropoda) can come in different colors, such as blue, yellow, orange, or white I believe. Some, "rilis", have specific patterns where only part of their shells are colored. Shrimp breeding has come a long way.

Their colors will also show more if you have a darker substrate, and a darker background only helps. The shrimp actually do this because they think they blend in more, for protection (no lie). Plus since most things aren't green, they usually "pop" when they are on plants.

 

Nice. Well I got the tanks today so after I water test it and clean them I can start planning I also have to figure out where exactly I'm going to put it... I might need to buy a stand.